


Never Alone

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic [119]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Friendship/Love, Ghosts, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Pre-Slash, Prompt Fill, Sentient Atlantis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-24 11:32:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8370685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: LJ Comment Fic for Ghosts & Hauntings prompt: Any, Any, I died so I could haunt you
In which Rodney still has John's six, even though circumstances have drastically changed.





	

John woke to a familiar tapping sound that he couldn’t immediate place. His room was dark – sunrise was a good three hours off – and he didn’t see a source of the noise until he sat up and thought the lights on. He was sure he must still be asleep and dreaming.

“McKay?”

Rodney was sitting at John’s desk, fingers flying over the keyboard of his laptop. He stopped when John said his name, looking up with a guilty expression.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

John just stared at him.

“Hello? Are you in there?” Rodney snapped his fingers. “See, I was worried this might happen. I should’ve eased you into it, right? Can you hear me?”

“You’re dead,” John whispered. Dead and buried, his body sent back to Earth, to his sister. John had been devastated, had nearly resigned his commission and gone back himself. Atlantis without Rodney? It was unfathomable.

“I’m just glad it happened in the city, and not offworld. Or else I wouldn’t be here at all.” Rodney flipped the lid down on his laptop and it vanished from sight. “Do you need time to come to terms with this? I can leave and –”

“No!” John barked out, his throat tight. “No, don’t.”

Rodney’s eyes narrowed. “Are you okay? You don’t look good.”

“You’re dead,” John repeated.

“Yes, we already covered that.” Rodney got up from the desk chair and crossed to the bed. He sat at the foot of it, his body having no weight at all; the mattress didn’t dip, the blanket didn’t pull. “Have you been to see Carson? You seem denser than usual. Did you have a head injury while I was gone?”

John reached out with one hand. It didn’t pass through Rodney as he’d half expected it to, but he couldn’t touch the man either. It was like the time Rodney had put the personal shield on.

“How are you here?”

“I made a deal with Atlantis,” Rodney said smugly. “You know, she’s much more sentient than anyone realizes. Though I’m sure with your super gene you already knew that.”

As a matter of fact, he did. But John hadn’t felt the need to share that information with anyone. 

“I hesitate to use the word ‘soul’.” Rodney made air quotes around it. “But when I died, Atlantis was able to download my essence, as it were. I mean, let’s face it. You’re all pretty much doomed without me.”

He looked ridiculously pleased with himself, and it was so familiar. So _McKay_. John rubbed a hand over his eyes, trying to forestall the tears that burned behind them.

“So you’re what? A hologram?”

“I’m a ghost!” Rodney said gleefully. “Well, more like a digital ghost. I still have all my faculties. Right now I’m limited to the confines of Atlantis, but I’m working on a way to go portable so I can stay on the team.”

“Stay on the…McKay, you’re _dead_.”

Rodney crossed his arms. “Stop saying that! We all know I’m dead. But that doesn’t mean I’m not still here, or able to help. Unless you don’t want me.”

Even as a sort-of ghost, he was still uncertain when it came to what he meant to John, or the team. John had never understood how someone so smart, so willing to tell everyone about his value, consistently doubted his personal appeal.

“Of course I want you,” John replied, his voice choked with unshed tears. More than he’d ever be able to say. Then again, judging by the soft, affectionate look on Rodney’s face, maybe he wasn’t being as subtle as he thought he was.

“I did it for you, you know,” Rodney said softly. “Someone has to look out for you, make sure you keep the suicidal heroics to a minimum.”

John lost the battle against his own emotions. He felt the sensation of being surrounded, if not quite by a pair of arms, and could only be grateful that Rodney hadn’t left him.

He wasn’t alone.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** I didn't realize I'd written a deathfic until I was posting it here and had to click on Major Character Death. Because duh. ::shakes head:: But you just know Rodney's going to have fun being a ghost. Think of all the pranks he can pull on Radek!


End file.
